G A B R I E L A
N
E T W O R K U
S AA Philippine-US Women's Solidarity Mass Organization, est. 1989
Action Analysis:
ON THE INTENSIFYING SEX TRADE IN THE PHILIPPINES
From GABRIELA Philippines
Imperialist globalization has intensified poverty which further spawned the massive prostitution of Filipino women and children. GABRIELA National Alliance of Women condemns the Ramos government with its economic program directly responsible for setting the stage of massive poverty that pushes more and more women to take prostitution as the option for survival. At the same time, in its desperation to salvage the country, the Ramos governmentÿs move to bolster tourism and export of labor to infuse the economy with the much-needed dollars, is tantamount to institutionalizing sex tourism and sex trafficking.
The flesh trade is no longer confined to red-light districts but has infiltrated almost every corner of our society, in communities where poverty looms and tourism thrives. Women from different socio-economic backgrounds have been forced into prostitution o college graduates, pre-puberty girls, indigenous women, housewives.
In the past five years alone of the Ramos government, we witnessed the unprecedented growth and spread of prostitution especially in tourist destination areas. In Cebu, the number of registered ¬commercial sex workersÿ rose from 1,500 in 1992 to 4,500 in 1997 (this does not include unregistered CSWs). While in Davao City, from 80 establishments in 1993, 55 more have opened since. There are now 2,000 registered CSWs and an estimated another 2,000 ¬freelancers.ÿ
In 1992, the number of prostituted children was only estimated at 60,000. Now the number has risen to 100,000. Presently, there is an estimated 400,000 prostituted women all over the country. This number does not yet include the non-registered ¬commercial sex workers,ÿ seasonal prostitutes (prosti-tuition) and those outside the country working as ¬entertainersÿ and those victimized by sex trafficking (mail order brides and serial sponsorships). The government cannot deny that the social hygiene clinics and licensing of ¬entertainment establishmentsÿ is part of the infrastructure in support of sex tourism. It was the US Navy which institutionalized this practice to protect its servicemen from sexually-transmitted diseases. The government, today, is implementing this to protect and encourage foreign tourists. Not only that, but the local governments directly profit from it through the pink cards (health certificates) and the licensing fees they collect from thousands of ¬entertainment establishmentsÿ scattered all over the country.
And now, the US military is staging a comeback via the Visiting Forces Agreement subserviently signed by the Ramos government in anticipation of the growing unrest of the Filipino masses in this time of intense crisis. With VFA and 22 more ports opened for military exercises, the number of prostituted Filipino women and children will continue to escalate and spread all over the Philippines.
The continuously shrinking employment opportunities in the form of massive lay-off, low wages, contractualization, sub-contracting and the ever-increasing prices of basic commodities and social services, have created a scenario where prostitution is the option over starvation. Hence, the Ramos government is capitalizing on this desperation of many Filipino women to sell them in exchange for dollars. To address the issue of prostitution is to address the issue the root causes of poverty and eradicate the conditions by which prostitution flourish.
No
to Imperialist Globalization!
No to the Prostitution of Women and Children!
No to the Global Sale of Women!
KAWOMENAN SPRING 1998
Contents:
Bursting the Bubble: Financial Crisis hits East Asian "Miracle" Economies
Action Analysis: On the Intensifying Sex Trade in the Philippines
Community-Based Health Programs in the Philippines: 25 Years of Commitment and Service to the People
Growing Up Female and Filipina in America: Some Glimpses into Childhood
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